A Whole New Experience
by BlaireZ16K
Summary: Keira Savor thought that would have to live in the boring city of Tulsa her whole life,that was until the sexy warrior Travis marks her and she is forced to go the House of Night,where her life change forever,unless Travis takes and changes her first.
1. Chapter 1

Prologue

He could see her in her room. She was drawing on that pad human`s call a drawing/sketch pad. His family had called it a dream pad for whatever you drew also existed in your deep self-conscious, or in other words, your dreams. She was really skilled in drawing; she moved her writing utensil as if it were a second hand to her.

He`d heard she was beautiful but not to this extent did he believe it. She had waist long hair that shone a chestnut soft brown that brought out her pale but softness of her skin. She was averagely tall but not really, although her extraordinary legs made your attention want to direct away from her height and onto them. Those legs with the combination of her delicious curves could do crazy things to a man.

However what was most radiant about her were her rare violet purple eyes. They shone out with gray flecks that just made you want to swim in them forever. It was almost like they ripped away all of the walls you put over and around your heart and soul and looked straight into you and into the depths of your soul. Someone could get lost in eyes like that.

It was almost sad that he`d have to mark her. But he had to do his duty as a tracker, so he set off. He slipped in her window without a sound, at first notably mesmerized by her graceful movements. Then by the curves of her young body. She was but seventeen but in Vampire a year was nothing besides a number.

She must`ve finally sensed him because she suddenly froze and whirled around. And then he knew he had to do what The Goddess sent him here to do.


	2. Distance to Closeness

"Keira!" I heard Jasmine call my name again. I was tempted to ignore her again, I really was, but she had a knack of calling the teachers when she couldn`t find me. And so I took my headphones out of my ears, cutting of the Linkin Park song I was listening to. Placing the picture I was drawing on the bed I stood up.

"I`m in here Jasmine!" I called and less than a minute later a frantic looking Jasmine Paint ran into the room. Her brown eyes were wild, and her light brunette hair was wind-blown. She was taller than me but not by much. She was also my best friend; she was ever since I first found myself in the House of Night. Her skin was like smooth cocoa, which was much better than my pale skin. Her brown eyes, which were usually a calm and spunky deep brown, now shone our in leashed anger at me.

"Where were you?" She demanded loudly. "Didn`t you hear me looking for you?" The problem was that she was always calling and looking for me. I nodded at my drawing next to my IPod and understanding filled her eyes along with relief. Good grief what did she thinks I was doing?

"Jason." She said. Then I understood exactly where her mind was.

Jace was my best guy-friend and also my maybe-future-boyfriend. I`d never dated before. I know sixteen year olds were supposed to already have had many boyfriends but I guess something was wrong in me. I mean it's not like no one asked. There were a lot of vamps asking me to go out but….

But what worried Jasmine the most was Jace`s want for possession of her best friend-apparently me. He was known for being a flirt even while his V-ness was a mystery. A mystery I myself had no wanting to solve. Whether I liked the answer or not. Besides it wasn`t any of my business.

Jasmine saw it differently though. The way she saw it Jace had been trying to get what all guys want from day one. And to her he was bad news. I`d often tried to convince her that he was still ….well I couldn`t say human but…y`know. "Jace, "I told her." Is still in the pools around back." It was warm season so everyone who could, -ditching or just during free-time- would hang out at the pools in the back yards that the swim team used.

It wasn`t that I didn`t like Jace, it was just that there`s always some weird aura around him…some girls find that bad-and-sexy-boy aura really attractive but….not me. I could never hang out with Jace without wanting to be permanently on my guard. It annoyed the heck out of me, I`m telling you it did! Imagine hanging out with the hottest guy your school and not being able to be calm when he outs his arm around you ,and always having to pull away when he tries to kiss you! Erg! It`s really frustrating! Not to mention embarrassing! Heck! You try explaining it to your girlfriends and see how you fair! I sank to the bed grumbling under my breath.

Jasmine came and held my hand. "Don`t let the stress get to you sweetheart, a boy like that always follows his di-"

"Jasmine!" I gasped in waves of laughter.

"It`s true!" She replied! I laughed even more. Then stopped when I noticed some of the girls rushing downstairs in giggling mob. Jasmine and I looked at each other with what-the-freak looks and then joined the mob to see what the cause of it was.

"Alison!" I called out to one of the sixth-former girls. She excelled in my biology class and the teacher (Mr. Adams) always called on her in Latin. She turned and looked at me in confusion. "What`s going on?" I asked her and leaned over the railing to get a better view.

"High Priestess Sanari," she started. "Came to the dorm and was followed by a really yummy tracker dude, y`know, the guys who mark you? Yeah, he came in and now all the girls want a peek of him and maybe even a bite of him."

"Ah, i see. " I muttered under my breath. _These girls,_ I thought to myself,_ are going to drive me insane, first they`re Go-Go-For-Gaga, then they have "Beiber Fever" and now they have an appetite for a tracker vampire! Sheesh… _ I couldn`t help being a little curious though, Why would a tracker and high Priestess Sanari come here? What must`ve happened; something big I bet.

Not wanting to miss out on something big, I wiggled through the mob of girls to see where they followed the tracker and Sanari with Jasmine following me.

"Haven`t you had enough boys already, Keira?" I heard an annoying voice announce behind me. Reluctantly I turned and looked Isabelle Mathews in the face. Isabelle ,well hell, I don`t even have to try, just picture the swim suit model types that cause guys to droll, then add medium long beautiful brown hair and illuminating green eyes and there you have her. She was the pre-Madonna and also the "The Girl" in the school, and for the last two years that I've attended this House Of Night she`s made sure to use every opportunity she`s ever had to make my life hell. She knew as well as I did that I didn`t date but loved to shove that in my face too. "Oh wait, I forgot you never even make it to the dating base with any of them. Aw, what`s wrong, honey? They get too scared off you and run away from you like everyone else?" A low growl sounded in my throat as all the girls around her tittered and giggled, wanting to rip her face off.

With an animalistic growl of restraint I turned away from her and started to walk away, only to be smashed right up into something hard and rigid. I expected the girls behind me burst out laughing at my stupidness and was surprised when I turned and found them all staring inn awe and shock at something above my head. I whirled around only find out that what I had slammed into was not a wall but a very tall and very sexy looking boy who looked a little older than me. That's not what freaked me the most. The thing that made my heart stutter and skip beats is that the sexy young tracker that everyone in this school who was female was the very male that marked me for the House of Night. The only thing I could do was stay frozen as his soul shattering blue sapphire eyes watched me through those narrow lashes.


	3. 1800Priestess

"I`m so sorry!" I apologized just barely suppressing the stutter that almost thrived in the sentence. I distantly heard the girls behind us giggle. My mind was focused on the sexual energy that almost seemed to thrum between me and the Adonis-like Tracker. With a shock I realized not a breath of space separated us, a blush burned my cheeks as I started to stand back. I`d just started to hear Isabelle`s messed up and highly annoying laugh when the Adonis-like statue came to life. I gasped as a strong arm wrapped around my waist and held me to him. The annoying laughing broke of almost immediately.

"I've been looking for you." Oh goddess, his deep voice turned my bones to nothing but jelly shivers coursed over my body. Part of me whispered that I should smack him, it was his fault I'd ended up at this House Of Night ,his fault that I was hit on by too many guys and his fault that Isabelle had been making my life hell….but even as the thoughts swam through my head I contradicted them; it wasn't anyone`s fault I was marked, the great Goddess Nyx had chosen me, for some odd reason every time I thought about it that way I felt special, like she`d chosen me for a different reason than why she`d chosen the others. It was odd…but somehow also exhilarating in some way.

But this, standing next to the Tracker, was more than exhilarating, I literally felt like I couldn't breathe! _This is not love!_ I thought to myself sternly_, No siree! Not with him! No matter how sexy and stunning and attracting and yummy he is and how he pretty much radiates magnetic attraction energy and…STOP!_ I yelled at myself.

It was then I remembered that I was still staring at him, looking like a complete idiot. _Shoot!_ I looked up at him. Even the two year separation hadn`t changed or touched him in the least; he was still at least way over 6 feet, tall and had winded style long black hair that cascaded over his soul shattering blue eyes that burned a sapphire hue. His pale skin strained in his shirt over his easily seen well fit muscles and pecks, my cheeks burned when I saw him looking over me also. I tried to move away again but his arms were a cage that prevented me from going anywhere. Suddenly his words penetrated my mind. Searching for me? Why? What did I do?

"We need to talk to, Keira." Sanari said suddenly in the doorway. She started to walk out when she finished the sentence and I was scared that she`d leave me with this awkward atmosphere but the tracker had taken my wrist had he started pulling me in the direction that she had disappeared into. I wanted to stop right there and demand to get an explanation of what was going on but I had feeling it wasn`t going to be long till I found out.

I sat in her office while she and the Tracker talked silently. Something was definitely wrong here! In near panic I turned and looked for something to concentrate on, I spotted, on Sanari`s desk, a picture of a young girl, I walked over to it and picked it up. In the picture was a young very beautiful girl with beautifully amazing marks that enriched her face in a pattern as I'd never seen before on any other vampire, she had long black hair and pale skin , her marks enchanted the skin along her forehead and almost all her skin, even on her palms, in the picture she was sitting on the ground, her back against the giant tree trunk that I'd heard once grown by the House Of Night East perimeter wall, it had stated regrow but was not nearly as big as it looked in the picture. I saw a name in the corner and read it.

"Zoey Redbird." I immediately recognized the name; no vampire in their right mind would not know that name. Zoey Redbird was the High Priestess who had destroyed the evil gone wrong High Priestess Neferet who had tried and nearby succeeded in plunging the whole school into darkness and using all the young fledglings that she had poisoned with darkness to destroy all the humans and create a world of vampires whom she would control. As the story went she used the great beast Kalona and his son Rephraim as her pawns. In the tale Rephraim had fallen for the first ever red vampire High Priestess Steve Rae and Kalona had fallen for Zoey who was in love her Guardian Stark. Strangely enough she disappeared from sight along with her warrior, almost like she and he just disappeared suddenly, some rumors circled that her and her warrior had escaped to the Isles where time did not exist, where she could be Queen and he be her King as well as her warrior and mate. I smiled as I remembered the story; I had almost felt an instant connection to Zoey, although I'd never met her. I laughed a little remembering the story. How did she feel going through so much when she had never asked for it all? What would she do in a situation like this? Would she accept it without even knowing what was going on or would she turn away from it because she wasn't apart of it?

The questions that whirled around in my head came to an abrupt silence when I turned and saw the Tracker watching me again. My mouth went dry when I took in his appearance again. Luckily Sanari walked in before I had to say anything to him.

Sanari sat at her desk, a frown on her usually beautifully crafted face. Before I could even ask what was wrong she started.

"We need your help, Keira." Chills raced down my spine, screaming that something was very wrong here.

"What`s wrong, Sanari?" I asked. Something in my gut twisted and I had to fight not to immediately stand up and say that I had no reason to help them but something stronger in me told me to just sit my tail down and listen to her and help in any way I could.

Sanari took a deep breath and started again. "We need your help. Priestesses have been going missing in all the House of Night schools all over the world. No one knows where they are, they just disappear! Our own disappeared three days ago. "I remembered, Serena Elizabeth Saturn had been the school`s High Priestess in Training, she`d gone out to get her cat, Lantern, and had had never came back even though Lantern had. The school had searched for her and still was but Sanari and I both new she was as gone as the others. "We need you to pose as a High Priestess in Training in order to get taken and that way we can find out just what the hell is going on and where the hell they`re being taken to."

I stared at her in shock. My throat and mouth gone completely dry. Me? As a High Priestess in Training? That would never work! No one would believe it! It would never work! Never! Ever! Not in a million years!

Sanari must`ve seen the maelstrom of panic in my eyes because she quickly added "Travis" she nodded to the Tracker who I'd totally momentarily forgot was even there, "will be your guardian. All Priestesses have guardians."

I remembered how Zoey had fallen in love with her guardian Stark and suddenly being a priestess didn`t seem all that bad, even as the thought came I cursed myself for it. I turned to Sanari-and almost totally regretted that I did; she looked so vulnerable, so needy ,and suddenly I was struck with how, over all the other faithful students in this school, she`d chosen me to help her with this ultra-important mission that could and probably already had held every House Of Night school in the world at risk. I sighed knowing that I couldn't say no to this woman or to the mission she`d desperately presented at my feet.

"All right." I all but groaned, exasperated and beaten by my own honor and kindness. Sanari`s face lit up like a kid`s on Christmas Morning -which did nothing to help. She started speaking but I couldn`t hear her at all ,because just then I had turned to look at Travis the Tracker –and was suddenly frozen as his opened sapphire shining eyes fixed on me. A low electric hum chased through my veins and suddenly I had a feeling that maybe, just maybe, I'd just taken on much more than I could possibly chew.


	4. Hormones vs Mind

Chapter 2

Travis.

He watched her and his eyes traveled over her again for the umpteenth time. She still looked as amazing as how when he`d first left her, maybe even more! Her eyes were still a brilliant violet and stripped away the naïve barriers one erected around one`s heart and looked head on into the soul inside. And yes; he still wanted her as much as he wanted her when he first saw her; how could he not? She was still beautifully and spiritually intelligent, it shined in her eyes and in the way she looked at people. He loved her eyes. He didn't love them only because their unique color; he loved them also because they were direct windows to her soul.

He`d be lying if he said that being next to her didn't bring his desire to go crazy. He had dreamt of her more times than he could count and his dreams had originated and sometimes progressed into a certain action filled scene that he had never put any other woman.

He mentally cursed his thoughts, he shouldn't be thinking about her that way; especially not now when they had to work together to solve this mystery of the missing Priestesses, but how could he resist her when her very closeness threatened his possessive and instinctive vampire instincts which screamed for him to claim her as his own? To out his mark on her a hold her as his forever, to never let anyone or anything harm her in anyway. To keep her safe no matter what and claim her forever as his mate and no one else`s.

_You`re a warrior! Not a bloody hormone driven teen! _He cursed himself, but already his mind was contradicting him. He wasn`t old actually, he was barely twenty to her seventeen. And yes, if the feelings and urges racing through him were accurate telltale signs of any, his hormones were very much still active and alive.

No matter that he kept reminding himself that this mission was of great importance and could very well hold the key to saving the House of Night schools all around the world or bringing them to total and unquestionable ruin, his body only calmed a small bit. He had a sudden feeling this mission was going to be a lot harder that he or she could dare to believe.


	5. Beginners

Chapter 3

Keira

_Just breathe…_I thought to, myself sternly_. They`re not staring at you, they're staring at something above you._ Even to my own ears I could tell it was a lie. I hid my face my book and kept it low trying not to feel the stares burning holes into my back as I walked down the hall. The news that I was the new High Priestess in training had gotten a surplus of attention as Sanari and Travis had wanted but it was a whole new experience for me; all eyes in the hall watched my every move when I dropped a book someone would immediately run over and snatch it up and hand it to me like I was too unable to pick it up. Then there were the ones who followed me around in between classes like I was a mother duck.

I sighed, looking down at my sketch pad; I had finally lost the duckling vamps in a hasty aversion into the locker room. It was lunchtime, but I dared not leave the privacy of the room in fear of them waiting for me. This is had never happened before! Well, not to this extant!

"Sheesh," I mumbled and washed my face. I remembered suddenly of Travis when he was warning me about the risks of this assignment, I listened carefully…. Well, not exactly to the words but to the voice saying them, goodness he had a sexy voice too! In a package of his looks and his muscles he`s make a total appearance on every teen girl`s locker. Strangely the thought of his picture on some girl`s locker shot anger through my bloodstream.

_Possessiveness? How can I feel possessive of someone I barely know?_ My mind screamed while it raced for an answer to this unacceptable emotion. I breathed in a deep breath into my lungs. I could NOT be feeling and having this much of an explosion over _HIM;_ the very vampire jerk that forced me go here! Who stole my ordinary and normal life from my hands as if it were his job! _Except that it WAS his job…_ my mind chimed, but either way a growl reverberated through my throat. How dare he! It might've been a boring and much too simple life but it was MINE! A frustrated breath blew out through my clenched teeth.

_It wasn't his fault…he was just doing his duty._ A small voice in me voiced its opinion, justifying his actions as best as it could. I growled and kicked the door, startling a fourth former in one of the bathroom stalls. "Sorry!" I stammered in quick apology

A low laugh sounded behind me and whirled around to see who it was – only to come face to face with a young guy sitting on the bench.

"You can`t be in here!" I whispered to him, trying not to alert the fourth former in the stall. "This is the girl`s locker room!"

"Believe me," he whispered back, amusement shining in his baby blue eyes. "I have no interest in touching a girl`s boobies or any other parts of their anatomies." Not exactly knowing why, I giggled at his statement. He smiled at my giggle and pushed his sandy blond hair out of his eyes. _He`s handsome. _I saw with a smile; his blue eyes showed his emotion and his sandy hair windswept over his eyes and then there was his very well built body, and all that mixed in with a deep voice and his over six feet tall height would be enough to make every girl swoon at just one sight of this golden haired stunner.

_He has eyes almost like Travis`_…I thought softly, _but Travis` eyes are a much prettier, and he`s much more welt built. I don't think any guy can compare to Travis with his unearthly draw…_ I quickly stopped that train of thought before it could go anywhere.

"My name is Zane," the boy stated getting up and holding out a hand. My mind back in here and now I smiled and shook it with my own.

"Keira," I informed him with another smile.

"I know who you are," he whispered. "The whole school knows as of today`s announcement."

"Oh?" I asked, my face burning with heat that crept into my cheek at the thought of the entire school knowing my name in an entire day.

"Yeah," he answered," They just-"we both froze as we heard whispering and the sound of the door being opened.

Not exactly knowing why, I spun to him and whispered urgently "We need to hide!" Something was wrong! Something was HERE!


	6. New Experiences

"Come on!" he whispered urgently and pulled me into one of the old super large lockers, squishing me as he wrapped his arms around me with his back to the back of the locker. He reached out and shut the locker seconds before a small group of what looked like older students came in.

"Where is she?" asked one that seemed like he was the eldest of the group, about nineteen.

"They said she ran in here," came an eerily familiar sounding female voice. My brain seemed to freeze for a minute –then screamed at full force. I tried to find out why my brain was silently freaking out but I couldn't understand with the other kids still in the locker room talking.

"We need to find her soon or else we`ll get our tails kicked," said the boy again. There were agreements from all of his cohorts. They all left then, leaving me in the locker, my mind still in a ruckus. _What do I do?_ I whispered to myself as my brain started to function again.

"Come on," said the boy in the locker with me gently. I let him lead me out of the locker and out of the locker room, my mind was fuzzy. What would`ve happened if I hadn't hit in the locker? What just happened?

I barely felt him start to lead me somewhere. "Where are we going?" I asked.

He didn't answer, instead he pulled her faster. She let him, although she felt the vamps start to stare and whisper all down the hallway and beyond.

"_HERE_ you go, he said, plopping me down into a seat. I looked up surprised and more than a little confused –to meet six pairs of curios eyes. I swallowed, my throat growing immediately dry.

"And who is _this?_" demanded a cocoa skinned young girl who looked a year or so older than me.

"This," Zane answered. "Is Keira.

"No crap, Sherlock," the cocoa skinned girl spit back. "Everyone knows who she is." I felt my face burn.

"Calm down, Shayla," the young pale faced male beside the dark colored girl ordered. Then he turned to me. "My name," he said with a smile that made him look quite handsome with his face gaining color again. "Is Avery." His skin was a rich cream that did nothing to hide the young man`s laugh lines. His brown hair was windswept to one side that swung over his light gem green eyes; he looked like he could be young royalty. I could tell even though he was sitting that he was at least six feet, three. I could tell he was a good person.

With an exasperated breath the cocoa skin girl said –grumbled –"I`m Shayla."

A giggle came from the pale girl across the table. She smile and blushed when everyone turned to her, she looked down shyly. "I`m Kylie." She said. Her hair was clean blonde that reached way past her shoulders and down past her breasts. Her eyes were a pale sky blue. I smiled again, she reminded me of a baby bird who hadn't yet stretched out her wings and flown into the real world yet.

Zane seemed to turn to a caramel skinned female. "I`m Shantelle," she said after he turned to her again. I looked up to see that the caramel skinned girl had the body and looks of a runway model. Her hair reached a short ways past her shoulders at a medium height and was a dark root beer brown along with her eyes.

"Jason," a dark male at the other side of Kylie said. His voice was deep. He seemed a tall as Avery if not a few inches shorter. His black as night hair was held down by a beanie. His eyes were a warm brown that held a lot more than I liked to see.

"Jamie," came a young female voice. I looked up to see a young red head combing her fingers through her hair. Her skin was as cream white as Kylie`s, if not a shade paler.

"It`s nice to meet you," I smiled shyly.

"You`re not really as tough as I thought you would be." Shayla said.

"Shayla!" Zane scolded while Jamie and Shantelle bursted out laughing in snychronation. I smiled, never having friends like this before. Shayla was obviously the strongest female at this table along with Jamie who was almost as tall as Jason.

"I'm not as high and mighty as everyone thinks," I answered, finally able to get the point across. Shayla smiled a smile a female satisfaction and I had to contain in my laughter as a paper ball suddenly hit her across the cheek and as she stood up and demanded to know who threw it. Jason and Zane seemed to suddenly find their nails very interesting and Avery seemed to suddenly really interested in doing his homework. Jamie and the rest of the girls were obviously madly fighting giggles that threatened to come. A giggle threatened to come through my own throat and I slapped my hand over my mouth to hold it in.

Avery looked up at me with a grin that totally held male satisfaction to the prime. Another giggle threatened to come out and I almost couldn't fight it. One escaped Jamie as Shayla threw a big paper ball at the back of Avery`s head.

"Hey!" he yelled and threw it back –and just that fast the table became a war front of paper balls seeming to come out of nowhere and targeting everyone , even a group of innocent third formers weren't saved from the fury of the battle that didn't even calm until Sanari came and all of the paper ball disappeared.

"Wait!" Avery yelled. "That was my homework!" That did it –laughter bursted out from everyone`s mouths. A warm feeling bloomed in my stomach as I laughed with them, not worrying about anything else for this moment. When the laughing died down I realized the bell was about to ring to signal the end of lunch, I looked at Zane as an unknown fear settled in my gut, he smiled telling me without words we`d hang out again after classes, that he`d find me and bring me back to these people. The fear faded and I smiled, the first real smile I`d felt in a long time. I like these people.

As I sat in my seat in class I realized that was the first time since I've been here that I actually had fun, actually let myself have and relax, and the first time I was surrounded by people, friends, that made me feel…feel…homey. I smiled and wondered what Zane had planned for when we meet later. Maybe this year wouldn't be so bad after all.

* * *

_Okay, first of all! Thank you SOOOOO **dayforall **and **Tayla Wayland! **You both totally stopped me from deleting this story and now luckily my writer`s block finally went away! Woot! Its gone and this story is coming back full force! So thanks guys for saving this story! Expect LONG chapter now! Thats for you **dayforall** :D!_


	7. New News and Jelousy Attacks

_Dang homework… _I growled in my mind as I set my work down on one of the tables on the outside seating behind the library. If I had a time machine…I thought, remembering the question worksheet the French teacher handed out today, that asked questions…just one problem…the questions were in FRENCH! I suppose that would go along because it's French _class_ but still, y'know, give us a break here.

"Having trouble with that?" asked a sudden voice by my ear that made me squeak and jump five feet high in my seat. I whirled around to see Avery with a hand over his mouth, obviously holding in laughter. I glared at him but that just seemed to make him want to laugh more.

"I'm sorry," he said, obviously still trying to hold in the laughter. "I just saw you there bending over your work and I couldn't resist." Then he just seemed to lose it—he started cracking up laughing. I growled and threw my pencil at him.

"Ow!" he yelled as it hit him in the arm. I laughed and grinned smugly.

"Do I need to save someone over here?" Zane asked, suddenly appearing at my side with Jamie beside him. I smiled and Avery laughed a fresh set laughter. Zane seemed to grin and Jamie giggled.

Shayla walked up then and the sullen face she wore shocked me. I obviously wasn't the only one who noticed; Avery stopped laughing and Zane rushed to her side. Jamie pulled out a chair for her and Jason appeared from behind her just as sullen faced.

"What's wrong, guys?" Zane asked after we all sat down. Shayla casted a glance at me then looked at Zane.

"Another priestess had gone missing," she said, and I felt ice freeze my blood.

"What?" I asked, my voice a squeak. I could feel color draining from my face; another priestess had gone missing. Another innocent girl—gone. I hesitantly felt Zane rubbing my arm in comfort.

"We heard them," I whispered, looking at Zane. "In the Girl's locker room."

"I know," he said.

"And you were in a girl's locker room, why?" Avery asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Were the girls getting dressed yet?" All eyes went to exasperated looks. "What?" he asked.

Keira and Zane sighed.

Travis wanted to grit his teeth as he heard the rumors of the new priestess being seen sneaking out of the bathroom with a boy. He tapped his pencil against the desk in irritation.

"Travis?" He looked up at the teacher suddenly and realized she's called on him for an answer. His cheeks burned slightly as he realized he had no idea what was going on around him. Ms. March seemed to look worried but also scolding as she turned and went back to teacher whatever she was teaching.

He stopped a growl from making its way through his throat and out of his mouth; he had never liked feeling embarrassed. The very action of being embarrassed made him angrier; how could one girl have this much effect on him.

Eric's words whispered through his mind. _"A woman can cut a man at his knees and smash his heart to pieces but a man can make a woman feel like she has no legs with which she can stand up against him with and take her heart hostage for his own desires."_

Travis agreed with that statement, it meant that each part of the relationship could hurt the other; one was just as dangerous as the other. It made him a little uneasy knowing that Keira might have the power knowing that Keira might have the power to hurt him. He'd never had anyone but his parents and brothers and sisters have that kind of power over him.

He squirmed in his seat again. He sighed and leaned forward to tap his pencil against the tale again just as a piece of paper found its way on his desk. He looked around the room surprised and found no one acting different. He picked up the note and opened it.

_"What's wrong dude?"_

_ —James_

Travis smiled and laughed lowly. He could almost see James grinning behind him. James Kale was his best friend; they enrolled in the House of Night together when they were marked at a block party they were both at.

He answered back, "_Nothing, why do you ask?"_ Waiting until the teacher's back was turned to them he threw the piece of paper of his shoulder and felt a grin stretch across his face when he felt the desk behind him jerk forward as James tried to grab it.

"Is there a problem, Mr. Kale?" Ms. March asked turning. Travis fought a grin as James straightened in his chair.

"No, ma'am," James mumbled and snickers came from around the class. Travis tried to hide his but it came from him. He heard James say something that sounded like his name and something else that sounded suspiciously like "dick head." He grinned.

A note floated over his shoulder and he took it under the desk and waited for the teacher to look away before he opened it.

_"I dunno bro, but you look like you're deciding whether to be angry or interested in something," _He turned around to look at his brown haired, tanned skin, handsome looking friend and arched an eyebrow at him. James smiled slightly but Travis could see the worry in his friend's eyes. He gave him a reassuring look and James seemed to calm down somewhat.

"Feel free to turn around and pay attention, Travis," Ms. March said.

"I didn't know you wanted him that bad, Ms. March,' James said and the class seemed to hold for a minute, even Travis was shocked, -but then the class seemed to burst out in laughter. Ms. March turned with a smile and even winked which made the class laugh louder and Travis' cheeks burn slightly. He laughed too, James' humor was infectious. He smiled at his friend who looked like he was king.

The bell rang then and he smiled at his friend as they exited the classroom. He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Isabelle standing next to him. She looked up at him with eyes like blue saucers.

"Yes, Isabelle?" he asked. She seemed to shy for a few seconds before looking up at him.

"What are you doing tonight, Travis?" Isabelle asked him, flipping her well cared for hair over her shoulder in a move that pushed her beasts up against her V—neck T—shirt. He had no illusions about Isabelle, her beauty was a tool in her arsery, she'd seduced many of his friends and he didn't know why but she'd never looked tempting to him.

"I have to study for a Physics test and then train for my fencing match tomorrow," he answered. Isabelle sucked her teeth in show that was obviously supposed to make her look innocent and delectable—but it didn't work for him.

He smiled at her though, he didn't hate Isabelle, he actually felt sorry for her; she had to use her looks to get by, she could never really show herself since she was so used to using her looks. He could tell by her sudden sad expression that she could see that she wasn't getting anywhere with him, he pitied her.

"Come one, Is," he said, using her nickname he heard James use for her. "Let me take your books and then I can help you with your Latin." He saw her surprise then delight as he took her books chivalrously and started walking with her to one of the outside lunch tables to help her with her French.

Again he wondered why Isabelle's looks had no effect on him. Then he knew why, because every time he heard the word beautiful he thought of violet eyes and long black hair and cream skin.

Keira sat beside Zane and Shayla—whom were arguing over whether since the tomato was named a fruit if ketchup was a smoothie or not (it's not.)—and sighed, banging her head against the table they were sitting on outside.

"Isn't that Isabelle over there?" Jamie asked, walking up with some Zebra Cakes that Zane and Shayla immediately asked for. She rolled her eyes and gave them some Zebra Cake which they dug into. Keira lifted her gaze and caught sight of Isabelle over at the table by the double doors.

—And nearly choked on her PowerAde and Zebra Cakes when she saw who was sitting next to her, laughing with her. Zane smacked her on the pack and she thanked him and swallowed her food although she'd lost her appetite. Travis and Isabelle?

She hated to admit it but the two made the cutest pair, one that could win "Cutest Couple" for years without even meaning to. She could tell she wasn't the only one looking at the two laughing and working on what appeared to be work from class. She felt rage blaze through her—how dare he! He can't end up with HER! No!

She felt herself clenching her hand around her PowerAde bottle with anger. She didn't even realize the whole table had switched their attention to her until Zane asked "What's wrong, Keira?"

"Nothing," she growled. What Travis did in his free time was no importance to her. If he wanted to date a black widow so be it."

Zane scoffed. "Sure didn't look like nothing." He followed where her gaze was zeroed in on. "It looked like—" Zane seemed to shut up then and Keira looked at him confused, to see him staring at Travis with wide eyes.

"Zane?" she asked. Zane seemed to suddenly come back to the present with a snap, he blinked. "What's wrong, Zane?" she asked. He just looked at her for a minute.

"Is that Travis?" he asked, his voice rough.

She was shocked so she answered truthfully. "Yes, you know him?"

"Yes," Zane answered. He gathering his books then, Keira looked up at him shocked again. "I've got to go," was all he said as he gathered up his stuff and fled the table faster than she believed he could go.

"What was wrong with him?" Keira asked.

"I don't know," Jamie and Shayla said, both worrying for their friend.

"I've never seen him act that way,' Jamie said softly.

"Me neither," Shayla said. Keira had to agree, she'd been hanging out with these friends for about four weeks now and she knew they were like family to her; she didn't like that something was wrong with one of them. It made her remember when she had no friends here and felt alone.

Jasmine was spending a whole lot of time with her bf so…yeah.

She saw Travis smile and felt a growl forming in her throat. How dare he! He can't like her! He can't! Her own desperation made her angry, she raked her fingers through her hair angrily; she couldn't like him—she couldn't! It was his fault she was forced to go here! His fault dangit!

Another sigh and her head fell into her hands. Could she really like Travis? He seemed totally unaffected –another pointed glare at him and Isabelle—she humphed. Idiot boys. Why did they have to make life so hard?

Travis left the tables after Isabelle finally started to get her homework somewhat. He'd felt eyes on him the entire time he was with her at the table—which he found odd. He started down the hall toward the class that he had next, the thought of Keira being seen with some boy in the girl's locker room still in his mind, upsetting him.

Did she hate him? She couldn't hate him could she? That would hardly be fair if she hated him; she barely knew him. He felt his cheeks puff with air slightly in a pout and he was surprised to find that he was pouting! He never pouted; pouting was for immature people and children and he'd never been a child really.

He sighed and put his MP3 player headphones in his ears. He presumed to pull the hood of his sweatshirt up over them. He flipped through his music to play Blake Shelton's "Honeybee"; Blake Shelton and Tim McGraw were two of his favorite artists, he liked that they not only were great artists but that they sang about what they truly believed and that they didn't let themselves be obsessed in the sense of fame.

He was engrossed in his music so that's probably why he didn't recognize what was going on until it was too late.

He felt something slam into the back of his head and the darkness grabbed him before he could say anything. He desperately tried to hang on to something—anything to keep him conscious but he felt the darkness taking him.

Zane came running to Travis' side when he saw the male dressed in black slam a fire hydrant into the back of his head. The young fledgling tracker crumpled to the floor without a sound.

When the male in black saw him running toward him he immediately fled. Zane heard other footsteps following the male's and knew Travis could've in real trouble.

"Travis!" he yelled, shaking the young male. He felt the back Travis' head and was relieved when he didn't feel any blood. He shook Travis again; class had started so no one else was in the halls besides them and some of the kids who decided to skip class.

"Go get Sanari!" he yelled. The kids immediately scattered and scrambled to go get Sanari. "Travis?" he asked, looking down worriedly at the young male who was lying in his arms who seemed to be limp and barely breathing.

He picked him up and started for the clinic. Travis had better be okay, if not he was going to track down that male that slammed the object into the back of his head and—

"Zane?' came a low but rough voice. Zane looked down at Travis and smiled slightly he was still worried.

"Hey buddy," he answered, his voice cracking slightly. "I see you got yourself in trouble again." Travis smiled weakly at him and he worried even more. He ran faster until they finally reached the clinic.

"Oh my GOSH!" the nurse yelped when Zane ran inside still carrying Travis who had started bleeding from the wound to his head. He quickly bristled over and laid Travis on the cot, as he started to get up Travis grabbed his arm—he looked down at him, Travis was looking up at him with so many emotions that he froze for a minute worriedly.

"Travis?" he started worriedly but then he grinned when he remembered big, scary Travis was latrophibic—meaning, he was scared of doctors and hospital along with everything included with them. He smiled and squeezed his shoulder in promise; Travis smiled weakly at him, his eyes telling Zane that he was thankful that he had saved his life.

"Just returning the favor," he laughed. Travis smiled.

Travis truly had saved his life; it made Zane smile thinking about the memory.

The nurse checked on Travis' head and wrapped a bandage around it to stem the blood flow explaining to Travis that he could take it off after five hours and that he didn't appear to have a concussion. "Keep an eye on him for the next twenty-four hours," she told Zane.

"I can keep an eye on myself," Travis growled, jumping off the bed before they could stop him. His pupils almost immediately shrunk and he swayed with suddenly dazed eyes—Zane caught him and helped him to his feet. Travis seemed to shake his head as if trying to clear it.

"You're not super human, dude," he said, putting one of Travis' arms over his shoulders and helping him up.

"Actually, I am," Travis mumbled, slurring slightly but giving his weight to Zane so the weight was balanced between them.

"You always did have a reply," Zane muttered helping Travis out of the clinic although the nurse protested. Travis seemed to grin but Zane knew he was still in pain.

He helped Travis into one of the seats outside and sat in the seat beside him, staring at the boy who'd saved his life. Travis looked away from him for a minute and silence filled the air. Zane knew Travis couldn't keep the silence for long. It was one of the thing that abled Zane and a very few of others to be friends with Travis—the ability to look past Travis' toughness to the gold hearted young man beneath it, under that tough exterior Travis was also as sensitive and as warmly soft as a marshmallow; sometimes it made him vulnerable but Zane believed it made him stronger.

"You've grown…" Travis said as if he couldn't stay silent any more. "A lot." Zane chuckled at the shyness Travis barely ever let anyone else but him see.

"So when," Zane started to his friend, no longer calmly. "Were you going to tell me you transferred?" Suddenly time seemed to stop; Zane felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up straight as he saw Travis turn to him.

Zane saw something in Travis' eyes that just explained that something was wrong here.

"I came here for more reasons than even I knew," Travis whispered. "And most of them I still don't know."

"Travis," Zane asked, worried now. "What's going on?" Travis looked up at him again and it was almost like Zane saw someone or something else in his friend's eyes. "Travis?"

"I thought I only came here because of her and to protect the Priestesses," Travis said, his voice different somehow. "But I'm beginning to think something made sure I came here, something wants me here and now that I'm here things will start heating up. I can feel it, Zane."

Zane looked at his friend who suddenly looked pale all over again. "The question is," he said to him. "What or who is this something, and are they good or bad."

Zane could see that Travis didn't have an answer and he could see it worried him, even frightened him. What he didn't say was that he was scared too.


	8. Beyond The Dreams

Zane growled as he started at the empty bed that was Travis'; the idiot was supposed to relax and not strain himself because of his head wound.

"_I'm going to take a nap." He looked up at Travis with an arched eyebrow._

"_Didn't you hear what happened to Billy Maze when he hit his head and took a nap?" Zane asked. Travis rolled his eyes._

"_Was Billy Maze a vampire?" Travis asked._

"_We may never know," Zane answered but nodded. Travis walked into the room and ten minutes later Zane walked in to check on him—to find an empty bed. _

"Idiot," Zane growled, and marched out of the room into the dawn coming morning.

Travis brushed his fingers across the cold steel door he'd seen in his dream. What was this? Was someone or thing trying to tell him something? He grabbed the knob and turned it then. Might as well check it out. Whatever it was. He walked through the doors and halted at the woman who kneeled at the alter in front of her. He looked up at the statue of Nyx.

A wind blew form outside, caressing his hair and he saw the woman slowly straighten and turn. He looked at her to ask her what she was doing here alone—but then his stomach dropped from him and his voice disappeared. The woman in front of him was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. She had a beautiful crescent mark on her head. Her eyes spoke of amazing beauty and love and yet power and age that amazed him and awed him. He couldn't move—he was so caught by her beauty.

The woman seemed to see that he was ogling and she giggled and seemed to glide forward. She was in front of him before he could even try to regain his wits, she smelled of an unknown substance that made him want to close his eyes and take a deep scent of it to keep with him always.

"Who are you?" he whispered and the female smiled at him.

"You know who I am, Travis. I chose you long ago." Her voice sounded like love riding the winds to slowly caress his senses. Who was this woman? She looked so familiar…

Suddenly her hands were resting on the sides of his face. She was looking up at him and he felt his eyes widen. "My daughter needs your help, Travis. And I know you need her." His eyes widened. What? "You must save her! In saving her you'll be saving yourself also. You'll be finding out yourself and all the secrets that you've hidden from yourself. You need to help her; you'll both allow you to find yourselves." Travis' eyes widened. What had he gotten himself into?

"Zane?" Zane turned just in time to see Keira walking toward him. He smiled, concealing the worry in him. Travis hadn't returned. Class had started about an hour ago and he could barely sit in class without getting anxious that he hadn't found Travis yet. Where could the idiot be?

"What's wrong?" Keira asked, worry in her tone. He looked down at her and sighed as he heard the bell ring for the next class. What was he going to do?

"Nothing," he answered when he saw that she was waiting on him for an answer. "Why aren't you getting to class?" He didn't mean for it to sound rude but his mind was not with him right now.

Keira placed a hand on her hip and angled it in attitude. "Well then," she growled. "Someone's snappy."

Zane sighed. "Sorry, K." He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again. Keira softened and walked up to him with a soft smile.

"Come on, let's get to class." She took his arm and led him toward the classroom but even so his mind was if his best friend was alright.

Keira looked at Zane across the room and wondered again what was on his mind. Something was wrong with him but what could it be. Zane usually never got mad. She caught Jamie's worried gaze and shook her head. Jamie sighed and turned her attention back to the teacher. Keira followed her lead but her mind was still on what could be hurting Zane.

Her gaze accidently caught Isabelle and part of her snarled as the memory of her sitting so closely with Travis assaulting her mind. If he wanted to date a black widow that'd eat his head off who was she to bother to try to warn him? Still, something pinged in her heart. Shaking it off she tried to concentrate on the lesson.

She sighed but suddenly she felt something in her chest, a bad feeling of sorts.

"I can't find it Jessie," Keira sighed. She looked once again under the bed and still couldn't find Jessie's coin purse. She sighed and looked behind the stereo but still found nothing. Their room wasn't that big anyway but still, a coin purse had to be hiding somewhere.  
Jessie huffed out a breath, blowing up a stray piece of brown hair from drifting over her eyes, it landed back in its place and Jessie huffed and gave up. The girl looked under her bed and behind the television, even searching through the closet—which looked like a twister had gone through it—Keira grinned and thought, it's a mess, not pointing any fingers—her gaze went to Jessie who was thrashing through the clothes like she was a mother trying to save her baby—I didn't say anything about gazes.

A gasp sounded and Jessie snapped ramrod straight. "I got it!" Keira thought she meant that she had found her coin purse but then the female grabbed her wrists and yanked her out the room. She sighed, this wasn't over yet.

"Are you sure it's in here?" Keira demanded once again. Her flashlight flashed around again.

Jessie swung her flashlight around also and shrugged. "I had it before I came here; maybe I dropped it in here somewhere." Keira sighed and once again started to look for the coin purse. Chills raced up her arms as she started to remember her old slumber parties with Becky, her old best friend. Then when she went on her date with Tyler White and they saw Paranormal Activity,.. Goosebumps crawled over her.

Jessie seemed also shaken, her face was pale and she was shaking somewhat. Keira looked around at the pitch blackness and swallowed. "Maybe we should wait till morning…" Jessie nodded jerkily, they both started for the door as fast their feet could carry them. Keira reached for the doorknob, sighing in relief—

Until the door flew open to reveal a tall, dark shadow in the doorway. Both she and Jessie were frozen in horror. She watched in stilled horror as the shadow slowly brought his arm to his face. What was he going to do? Memories of the last few moments of the movie _Quarantine _the girl was dragged into the darkness to be eaten and never heard from again and even worse, maybe to be bitten and made into one of those creatures! She stepped back, and watched as the shadow raised his arm, it molded into the darkness surrounding his upper chest. She wanted to run!

Light flashed and a shadowed dark face appeared. "Boo." Jessie's scream mimicked her own as they ran back to the temple. Jessie started launching things and large objects—where did she get those?—at the shadow that had started to follow them. The shadow immediately spun around to run but apparently Jessie used to play baseball.

"Ow!" a voice yelled. "Stop it, Jess!" A gasp came from both of them.

"Zane?" the both demanded and the boy shadow raised the flashlight to his face and showed them his familiar face.

"You jerk!" Jessie cried, throwing something else at him. Zane dodged and jumped again as another object was thrown.

"I'm sorry!" Zane apologized. "I just couldn't resist." He laughed. Jessie growled and looked for something else to throw—

And tripped over something with a scream. Zane and Keira immediately rushed over to help.

"Ow," Jessie moaned. "What was that?" With an angry set jaw Jessie whirled the flashlight to the object she had tripped over—and her face paled.

Keira swirled her flashlight in that direction too. Its light landed on soft skin. Keira's jaw dropped and Zane gasp with Jessie's whimper. It was a body.

"Oh no," Jessie whispered. "We're contaminating a murder scene!" Both Keira and Zane ignored her and headed for the body.

Zane flipped it onto its back—and gasped.

"What's wrong?" Jessie asked with her voice cracking midway. Keira could only gape at the blond headed male in Zane's arms.

"Travis?" Her voice cracked and she felt like it had come from down a tunnel. Nothing felt right, she felt like everything had detached from her and that she was connected to anything. He couldn't be dead! If he was dead…nothing would ever be right again…her life would always feel empty…she didn't know how but she knew these things to be true.

The body in Zane's arms mumbled unintelligibly and shifted somewhat. Life rushed back into Keira and her heart thudded in relieved beats, he was alive, but that didn't mean he was alright though. Zane seemed to understand because he suddenly lifted Travis up and started for the door. Keira helped Jessie up and started for the door. She didn't know what to do, it was obvious now that she felt something for the Tracker. But what could she do? One thing was sure for; Isabelle sure wasn't allowed to touch what belonged to her. Not her stuff, not her life, and definitely not her man.


End file.
